… until work (and most of summer) are kaput.
I can’t say it’s been a great summer – being without work for 1.5 months sorta put a damper on my spirits and income – and I haven’t done nearly as much with friends as I should have. This is looking to be a rather stressful year (which means any get-togethers during the year that lie outside of scholarly collaboration are likely to entail little more than collectively passing out on a floor littered with empty containers of highly caffeinated beverages)
But, if I can make it through this year (and mark my words, we all will) I’ll be in a position to have a kick-ass summer next year. Sorta like what I was planning for this year, only 300% more likely to actually happen.
Assuming people are still around next summer, of course… :’(
I think I’ve put my finger on the biggest difference between work and school that I haven’t been able to put my finger on. No, not the having income vs. spending uncontrollably; not the endless lectures vs. endless grind; and not the done-by-a-reasonable-hour vs. all-bets-are-off-completion-time.
No, the biggest difference, I think, is where you work. In an office, you’re working at Your Desk, or The Meeting Room that you booked out for your Meeting. At school, you’re working everywhere and anywhere – hallways, libraries, cafeterias, empty classrooms, stairways, basically any place that isn’t a SARS risk or under construction. The number of places to do stuff bears a striking resemblance to the actual square footage of the joint. Whereas here, at the office, any place that isn’t your designated work area is someone else’s designated work area, or a Common Meeting Room that is invariably booked out.
I’m beginning to see that I really missed the freedom of being able to choose to work at a desk, at a table, on grass / snow, on a couch, on the floor, etc. in any number of locations across campus. I simply don’t have that here.
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